Navigation Bar

Sunday, June 28, 2015

For so long, I showed up on my mat to check out. It was the one hour in my chaotic life that I had for myself. No distractions, no one to answer to, nothing to cross off my list. I showed up to forget about life. It wasn't until recently that I realized how imperative it is to bring whatever is coming up in our lives onto the mat. My yoga teacher tells us, "What we do with one thing, we do with everything."

When we show up on the mat, we don't just show up for ourselves. We show up to share and accept the energy, breath, and hearts with those around us. Through this practice, we allow ourselves to become vulnerable and intimate. In those moments, we are alone yet together. By sharing our energy, we find peace, acceptance, and worthiness from within. We must live with our hearts wide open. The truth is, you matter. You matter and I matter. We all matter. The world would not be the same without me nor would it be the same without you. You are loved. You give love. Because of your existence, love exists.

Wherever you are on your journey, whether good or bad, you were meant to be here at this moment. As soon as you realize that every experience has a purpose, your life has so much more meaning. Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know. Rather than questioning where you are at in your life, learn to be content, be present. Ride the wave. Be okay with groundlessness. Accept that nothing is permanent. Everyone moment is an opportunity for you to grow, forgive, and to love both yourselves and others more than you ever have before. Rather than judging yourself or your thoughts, notice them.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Well hey there, chickadees! Three weeks into summer vacation and it has been anything but! This gal pal has been moving and groovin', hoppin' and boppin', and busting moves all over this town! I had high hopes of maxin' and relaxin' but we all know that just does not reside in this DNA o' mine! Hope you had a lovely weekend! Take a look at what has made me squeal, "Holy Swoon!" for the past couple of weeks! It's been a hot minute since I've shared!

[Baby Mobile]: If you have a little one on the way and love a little cheeky yet modern decor, you may want to check out this shop! The baby mobiles are so whimsy that I had the best time giggling over them all! You can have a custom mobile made of your [soon to be] family of three or more or can even swap up this Beatles mobile with the Yellow Submarine! So good but so cheeky, right?

[Striped Heels]: I almost jumped outta my seat this past week when I stumbled upon these striped heels in my Pinterest feed. They are the perfect striped pair- design and all! I was so bummed when I noticed the post was from 2013 but still enjoyed checking out Sarah's post! Her blog is a favorite o'mine![Graphic T-Shirt]: If there was ever a graphic t-shirt that sums up my life, this is me in a nutshell. I don't even wear graphic t-shirts dearest chickadees but I am making an exception with this one. Vinyasa yoga + a venti iced coffee are what's in store for me on the regular. I am sure that you have seen Thug Life t-shirts poppin' up everywhere on the world wide web these days. You can imagine how tickled I was when I found out that they are based out of Columbus, Ohio. Small business right down the street from me? So hard to resist!

[Armchair]: Isn't this chair the bee's knees? I can just picture myself planted, feet up, sippin' and sittin' for hours on end. Just gimme the remote, this cute pillow to plop my head on, and the Real Housewives and we are good for hours on end! It's a guilty pleasure, what can I say?[Tassel Necklace]: Simple and adorable, this one is a no-brainer when it comes to jewelry in the summer! Sometimes it can just be too hot to even think about adding a third piece but I am totally swooning over this one! Y'all know I love a good piece of colorful jewelry gal pals and this one tops the cake! The length seems just right and the tassels, not too much! Bright neon is a must with my stripes! [Sunnies]: I have somehow managed to rack up a stash of sunnies within the past couple of years [shocking, I know] but have found myself constantly reaching for my round ones this season. They make me feel like the ever adorable Audrey! I could be struttin' in my black yoga pants, no makeup on, but feel like a total b-a-b-e in my round sunnies! Do y'all have a favorite pair? I know I do! Round sunnies for the win!

[Let's Stay Home]: This is a shop that I recently stumbled upon and couldn't get over the cuteness of it all! I especially love the cheeky fonts- they were made for me! Oh and the price? It's spot on! Can't go wrong with one of this, gal pals![Anna Kokeshi Doll]: I may or may not have squealed when I spotted this adorable Anna Wintour doll over the weekend! My heart skipped a beat and almost exploded with all of its cuteness. I would just love to snatch this curio up and place it on my desk for my little ones to play with! I'm just sure that they would appreciate Anna!

I hope this lovely loot brought a smile to your face! Now get out there and show Monday whatcha got!

Sunday, June 21, 2015

This little one cannot get enough delectable drinks this season to calm the mind. Sippin' and sittin' is something that I have come to really appreciate on Sunday evenings after a weekend full of yoga teacher training and getting my sweat on. It's quite refreshing, dear chickadees. We typically park ourselves outside on the patio at Seventh Sons Brewing Company where I swoon over their Mother Earth cocktail. I have yet to master this one at home but once I do, you bet your bottom dollar I'll be sharing all of it's goodness with y'all! Until then, check out this sweet concoction I put together over the weekend. If you must know, I switched the Marie Framboise for a little gin! What's a gal to do? It's my favorite!

The Falero:

Ingredients:

4 Blackberries

3/4 oz simple syrup

3/4 oz. fresh lime juice

3 oz. Marie Framboise

Shake hard, and strain over ice into a highball glass. Top with seltzer and garnish with a blackberry and a raspberry.

Now hop to your local grocery store, throw these ingredients into your cart, and jet home to make yourself a strong one!

Thursday, June 11, 2015

What does it mean to live your truth? This was a question that I had to answer this week and lemme tell y'all, it had me feeling all kinds of feelings. “What would others think of me?” “How can I avoid feeling hurt?” “Am I going to be terrible at this?” “How can I love other people and how can I let them love me?” “Will living my absolute truth hurt those around me?” This is what I fear when I think about living my truth. I am realizing that the fucked up part about my fears is that 99% of them have nothing to do with me. Or maybe they really do and it’s all in my head. Why am I subconsciously letting others dictate my own control of my life?

There are still areas of my life where I am seeking to discover what living my truth means to me personally. At this point, I am not sure what it is in a tangible sense but it’s more of a feeling for me. This entire teacher training process is teaching me the importance of authenticity and how it opens my heart to living my truth by seeking out what feels good to me physically and emotionally.

When I think about living my truth, I keep coming back to being vulnerable.

If I am being honest, I think this is the most difficult for me to be, being vulnerable. It is the one quality in myself that I am so quick to run away from. Other than this entire teacher training experience, I can count on my hand the amount of times I have been completely and utterly vulnerable in my life. I’m realizing now that it’s so much of the perfectionist in me. When I think about vulnerability and how it relates to myself personally, my thoughts instantly think about it in a negative connotation- being weak, too open. The funny thing is, I want so badly to be vulnerable and I am envious of those around me who are. When I perceive it in others, I see bravery, complete happiness, and a high sense of energy that others are drawn to. So why can’t I see it in myself?

One of the most freeing experiences for me has been heart-openers during yoga [To my fellow yogis, can I get an 'Amen!'?]. The amount of vulnerability I feel in these poses is so liberating that I often find myself in tears after class because it’s so powerful and moving. I ask myself how wonderful life could feel if I felt as vulnerable in life as I did in that moment. I am not even sure what is holding me back other than my fear of being hurt or shamed. Maybe it’s wanting to find someone who is just as vulnerable in a place of non-judgment when it can be so difficult to find in a world that exists as we know it. It’s so much easier to build walls and then blame or question why others feel so distant but the truth is that I am the one that is building those walls.

I started this yoga journey with the intention of finding out who I am. What I am finding is that it’s not that I didn’t know who I was because deep down inside, I know who I am. I am kind, worthy, giving, [too much of] a perfectionist, a caring friend, supportive wife, and at times, sensitive. I also know that I want to be better. By becoming more vulnerable I will be able to move closer to the truth of who I really am down deep inside and allow others to see it as well. It’s not so much about who I am or who I am not but more so a practice of how I can keep reaching toward my truth. More about living with intention and less out of fear. Acknowledging where I am today and that it may not be the same as where I was yesterday or where I will be tomorrow. I read once that you cannot live when you are untouchable. So here’s to hoping that my heart will crack open and a party full of confetti, openness, lovely thoughts, and sunshine pops out for me to share. Namaste, y'all!